LAMESA - Funeral service for Phyllis Snell, of Lamesa, were Aug. 27, at Branon Funeral Home Chapel with Minister Mark Hackett officiating. Interment followed to Dawson County Cemetery. Arrangements were under the direction of Branon Funeral Home. She was born Nov. 26, 1924, in Bemidji, Minnesota and died Aug. 25, 2022, in Lubbock at the age of 97. She was the oldest of seven children born to Mildred Cyr Wilson. She grew up in northern Minnesota living among the coal and iron ore mines. She graduated from Mt. Iron High School in Parkville, Minnesota in 1943. She was the president of the senior class that year. When World War II started recruiters came to Minnesota for young people to come to California to work in the airplane factories supporting the war effort. She and some of her friends boarded a train for San Diego. They had been given jobs at Consolidated Aircraft assembling the B-24 “Liberator” bomber. It was here that she became one of the original “Rosie the Riveters”. She was young enough to climb a ladder and strong enough to hold a riveter free-handed, so she was assigned to the exterior of the nose section. She met a young sailor in San Diego named F.E. “Bud” Snell. She told him about life in Minnesota, ice skating, snow skiing, ice fishing and so on. He talked about cotton farming in rural Martin County, Texas. The war ended and Bud returned to the family farm and Phyllis stayed in San Diego working a clerical job. One day Bud asked her to come to Texas, so she boarded a train and arrived in Lamesa, where she stayed for the next 76 years, learning about raising cotton. Together they raised a family, attended all the school functions at Klondike and area stock shows. She was a long time member of the Church of Christ. Survivors include a daughter, Jolene Haney; four grandchildren, Traci Stokes (Brad), Bradley Snell, Randy Haney and Robert Haney (Julie); four great grandchildren, Deakin Stokes (Sara), Dalton Stokes, Carrington Haney, Blythe Haney; one great great granddaughter, Harper Stokes; former daughter in law, Vickie Snell; brother, Gary Wilson; and two sisters, Janice Wilson and Marsha Norton (Rich). Phyllis is preceded in death by mother, her husband, F.E. “Bud” Snell; son, Duane Snell; brother, Dwight Wilson and two sisters, Lorraine Ulicsni and Carol Carlson.